


I've Turned Into a Monster

by ThatGeekChick



Series: USS Talon [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek - Various Authors, star trek expanded universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-11 23:11:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3336293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatGeekChick/pseuds/ThatGeekChick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story starts somewhat in medias res, after Orion Lieutenant Emmarie has been abducted during an away team mission. Before she was returned to the Talon, her child was removed from her womb, and replaced with an explosive device. I'm not quite certain I'm up for putting together another story a la "The Beauty of Gray" just yet. Don't worry, most things will be explained :-D</p><p>This story was inspired by a desire to explore what an Orion's nervous breakdown would look like, as I wagered it would be quite different from a human's. Lieutenant William Hunter and Colton Hunter are the characters of Marian Murdoch, but are written here by Erin Moriarty with permission.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've Turned Into a Monster

**Author's Note:**

> In this universe, there are only 2 Orions in Starfleet, and they have joined somewhat recently. Orion Starfleet Officers are kept on pheromone regulators to prevent their pheromones from inadvertently being utilized in the course of duty.

After the surgical procedure to remove the bomb that had been implanted in her womb, Emmarie had remained sedated. There had been too many variables at play: her now-lost unusual hybrid pregnancy, her already out-of-whack pheromones, the uncertain nature of her psychology if she were to awaken. She'd been transported to a quarantined area of one of the lesser used medical bays on _Starbase Gamma Etimon _, where specialists had monitored her vital signs.__

__"She's going to come to soon," a nurse said, her tone soft as she looked at the attending physician. "Shall I give her another sedative?"_ _

__Doctor Frell frowned, considering Emmarie's chart. "If we allow her to awaken, her body may begin to regulate itself again." He sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. The only consolation that he'd had so far was that Dr. Erickson had handled the explosive device that had been implanted in the Orion Lieutenant. "This isn't an exact science," he admitted after a moment. "She has to awaken at some point, and the sooner she does, the quicker she'll hopefully recover."_ _

__He'd read the briefings though. How did one recover from having one's own unborn child stolen from their womb by the brother of the man they loved? Maybe Emmarie didn't ever want to awaken._ _

__"Shall I give her the pheromone regulator?" Nurse Isaacs queried._ _

__Frell shook his head. "We'll keep her behind a containment field. Honestly... her readings are so conflicting right now that I don't know what to give her. Her records say she has controlled herself consciously in the past. Hopefully that continues." Frell hated uncertainty. He really hated it when a ticking time bomb was residing in his infirmary. That perhaps wasn't the best choice of words, now was it? "If she's contained, the only person she can influence is herself. The risk is low."_ _

__"Of course, doctor," Isaacs said, but her tone seemed just as uncertain as Frell felt._ _

__"Move her biobed into the surgical suite and erect a level 4 containment field. Have the counseling team alerted to be ready to report here the moment she awakens."_ _

__"Of course," Issacs said as she complied. A few moments later, Emmarie's biobed was safely contained in one of the auxiliary surgical suites, and the medical team stood nearby, monitoring Emmarie's vitals._ _

__And prepared for the inevitable._ _

__There was no doubt in Frell's mind that Emmarie was going to be unstable when she awoke. What he did not know was what direction the instability would take. He looked around, before gesturing to the three female medical officers in range. "Give yourselves an analgesic before she comes to. If she requires medical assistance, we're going to need you three to take care of it," Frell ordered. While the Orion pheromones could drive a weak-willed man insane with lust, women tended to respond with headaches and irritability._ _

__Once appropriately dosed, all that was left to do was wait._ _

__\---_ _

__Emmarie's body was taxed. In several short days, it had gone from growing a child, to having said child removed, to having an explosive device inserted and later removed. Even in her unconscious state, her body responded to the trauma it had endured. Protective instincts warred with survival instincts, and as she began to move towards consciousness, her fight or flight response slowly began to engage._ _

__She'd been dreaming. At first a deep peaceful dream, her running in a field with a child. She knew the child was beside her, yet whenever she turned to look, he disappeared._ _

__"Billy," she said softly, chastising. "Quit messing around like that." Still, her tone was soft. Proud._ _

__She heard the sound of a giggle and whirled around, a smile spreading across her face. Behind a bush in the distance, she saw a green-skinned child of approximately three years peeking out at her._ _

__"You think you're so clever," she said, as she approached. _He_ is his father's child._ _

__The boy's chin dipped down, and he peered coyly up. As Emmarie approached, she saw an oddly familiar set of deep blue eyes. She ran the last few steps to the boy's side, but just as she was about to embrace him, he disappeared once more._ _

__"Billy," she chided once more. "Let's stop playing games. We have things to do today." She hesitated. What things did she have to do? She knew that there was something very important she needed to do. Someone she needed to see._ _

__"Your father is waiting, Billy," she said. That sounded right. His father. William Hunter. There was a pang of an unpleasant emotion, and Emmarie couldn't immediately recognize it. She whirled around. Where had they gone? Where was William? And Billy?_ _

__Confusion took over, and she began to run. She realized that she was in the woods. She had no idea how she'd gotten there, but she felt the sting of branches as they whipped against her face._ _

__She saw a flash of movement ahead of her. Billy. She ran faster, pushing her body as hard as she could. She had to get to Billy. Then she could find William, and figure out what all of this was about._ _

__"Emmarie," she heard her name, and stopped, looking to see the source._ _

__"William!" She exclaimed, running over to embrace him. "Please tell me what to do, I'm sure you know what's going on," she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "You always know..."_ _

__As she looked him in the eyes, though, she realized something was wrong. The usual lust, affection and concern had been replaced by... fury?_ _

__Hunter pushed her away. "How dare you!?" he hissed. "How could you think that I'd want you after what you've done!"_ _

__"But... But William, what have I done?"_ _

__His hands clenched to fists at his sides. "How dare you," he said darkly. "How can you pretend like nothing has happened. You lost the one thing that I actually gave a damn about. I told you to be careful. I told you that protecting my child was the most important responsibility you had. And yet still you lost him."_ _

__He hesitated, then shook his head, as if in disbelief. "I don't know how I expected an Orion to ever protect something that precious to me."_ _

__\---_ _

__"Doctor, I don't know what's going on but her vitals are going crazy," Nurse Isaacs said. "Her heart rate, brain activity, adrenaline... all extremely elevated. This can't be normal, can it?"_ _

__"Some species experience aggression when awaking from sedation," Frell said, but his tone was hesitant. "She's behind the forcefield, she can't hurt anyone, let's continue to monitor for the moment."_ _

__"Yes doctor," Isaacs said._ _

__"Her brain activity suggests that she should awaken soon," Doctor Tilamon interjected. "Once she awakens we should be able to better assess her current condition._ _

__"Her vitals aren't at a dangerous level yet. We'll continue our plan unless that status changes," Frell reaffirmed. _I hope this is the right decision.__ _

__\---_ _

__She wasn't dreaming anymore. Or at least, it didn't feel like a dream. Everything surrounding her was black. The darkness seemed to press on her from every side, giving her the feeling of claustrophobia. Every part of her body ached in a way she'd never felt before._ _

___Just keep fighting it_ , Emmarie thought. But even forming the words in her brain was difficult. Her lips parted, and she tried to speak, but everything that came out was nonsense syllables._ _

__"Did the translator catch any of that?" Frell asked, looking at her chart once more. There was nothing to suggest that Emmarie spoke Orion._ _

__Isaacs shook her head. "According to the translator that's not any known language. She's just... babbling incoherently."_ _

__"She sounds angry," Tilamon said._ _

__"Wouldn't you be?" Frell responded. "Angry we can deal with." It was certainly preferable to the alternative. Angry indicated a will to survive. The last thing Frell wanted was to have a suicidal Orion on his hands. _Truth be told, the last thing I want is_ any _emotionally driven Orion on my hands.__ _

__One green eye slowly flitted open, before closing once more. Emmarie cringed, curling up into fetal position as the surgical suite lights seemed to sear into her brain._ _

__"Computer, cut the lights by 50%" Frell ordered. The infirmary computer complied._ _

__Emmarie's skin seemed to darken, and Frell frowned, wondering if it was a trick of the lights, or something was actually happening. "Does she look-"_ _

__"Darker?" Tilamon finished, and the two doctors both nodded._ _

__"Pheromones?" Frell suggested._ _

__"That's my assumption," Tilamon said, looking to Isaacs._ _

__The nurse flushed, "Let me check the readings," she said, pulling out her tricorder. She nodded after a moment, "Yeah, her pheromone levels are increasing."_ _

__"Do we have an established baseline for Orion animal women?" Tilamon queried._ _

__"Uh... not handy..." Isaacs said. "Let me go check."_ _

__"She's going to awaken with one thing on her mind," Frell said, as Emmarie's lithe form began to writhe in suggestive manner._ _

__"Sex," Tilamon answered. He couldn't have been further from the truth._ _

__Initially, his guess seemed spot on. In a blink Emmarie had gone from prone on the bed, to perched atop it. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the infirmary. The corners of her lips quirked up, revealing a toothy grin. For a long moment, the Orion surveyed the males present._ _

__"Uh..." Tilamon said. "Is this like a Vulcan _pon farr_ situation where the only way to calm her down would be to... you know..."_ _

__"Tilamon, she'd break you," Frell retorted. There was something unsettling about Emmarie's eyes, and he was forced to look away._ _

__Emmarie leapt forward then, her body impacting the forcefield separating her from the medical staff with a loud *snap* of energy. She was repelled several feet back, yet landed in a feline crouch. Shaking off the shock, she stood up and began to pace. Her eyes darted quickly around looking for something that she could use as a tool._ _

__She grabbed a scalpel, and Isaacs cringed. Why had she not thought to clear out the surgical tools? Emmarie turned it over in her hands once, before depressing the button that enabled the tool's laser blade._ _

__"Emmarie don't!" Frell shouted, moving instinctively towards the forcefield. But the order was unnecessary. Emmarie had no intention of ending her own life. Having interpreted Frell looking away as a gesture of submission, she lunged towards him once more, this time with scalpel bared._ _

__Again she was knocked back, and Frell wondered just how long it would take for her body to give out. "Emmarie, it's going to be alright. You are on _Starbase Gamma Etimon_. I'm a Starfleet doctor. You're safe now."_ _

__But all logical thought had left Emmarie's mind. She saw only red. In response to the doctor's words, she merely hissed, before continuing to pace the room._ _

__"Should we try and do something?" Isaacs asked, then flinched when Emmarie glared at her for speaking._ _

__"Let's give her time. She's not hurting anyone at the moment. Hopefully she'll calm down a bit on her own," Tilamon said softly. Personally, he was transfixed by the sight of her, prowling like an wild creature. She continued to study her surroundings, trying to figure out a way to escape her confinement._ _

__She returned to the tray of surgical tools, rifling through them quickly. Isaacs held her breath, and Frell placed a reassuring hand on her. "She doesn't want to hurt herself," he said. Then he looked around. "Has anyone summoned the bloody counselor yet?!"_ _

__"I'll contact them again," Isaacs said, rushing out of the immediate area._ _

__Meanwhile, Emmarie pressed buttons. All of the tools she found, however, just seemed to have funny blinking lights and patterns that meant nothing to her animal mind. She threw them away, growling in frustration. She then turned her attention to the various bins and cabinets, throwing them open quickly before searching their contents. Dumping out surgical gowns, she scowled fiercely, looking down at her own attire. The medical gown she was wearing was chafing her as she moved. With a grunt, she grabbed the gown, ripping it from her body, then tossed it to the floor._ _

__As she went back to looking through the cabinets, her hand hovered momentarily over her abdomen, and she looked down. She ran her fingers softly over the dark green skin there, still slightly distended from her pregnancy._ _

__"Is she remembering?" Frell asked, looking around again. Where was that bloody counselor? He noticed that all the other men in the room had their eyes fixed on the now nude Orion, and he sighed._ _

__Emmarie's moment of reflection seemed to pass quickly, though, and she continued looking for something, anything, that would allow her to escape. From time to time she'd turn about, crouch down, and hiss at her captors before returning to her search._ _

__Finding nothing in the cabinets, she climbed atop the consoles. Her head cocked to the side as the buttons lit up under her toes, and she moved her feet tentatively around on the smooth surface._ _

__"Computer, disable all consoles in the auxiliary surgical suite!" Frell ordered. He doubted there was much she could do accidentally, but it paid to be cautious._ _

__"How is she?" asked Lieutenant Palor, one of the counselors aboard the station._ _

__"Angry," Frell answered. Emmarie jumped down from the console and approached the forcefield, sniffing the air as though to get a scent from the newly arrived woman._ _

__"Emmarie," Palor said, but having determined that the woman posed no threat, the Orion turned back to her escape attempts._ _

__"She seemed to have a moment where she almost remembered she was pregnant," Tilamon said._ _

__"She may orientate herself once the sedatives finish wearing off," Palor suggested. She watched curiously as Emmarie returned to pacing the surgical suite._ _

__"That's what we're hoping. Anything we tell her just seems to anger her further."_ _

__"Where's her next of kin? Is there anyone here she knows?" Palor asked._ _

__"The father of the child remained aboard _Talon_. She has no biological family to speak of. Her adoptive family on Earth has been notified, but obviously it will be some time before they can make it here."_ _

__Climbing back onto the console, Emmarie crouched deeply before leaping up into the air. She grabbed on to one of the light fixtures, and dangled there for a moment. Under most circumstances, she would have easily been able to pull her body up as well. But weakened as she was from her ordeal, she slipped down several moments later. Growling, she stomped on the console._ _

__Her efforts thus far thwarted, she sat down, her arms and legs crossed in front of her in a childlike fashion. Palor took advantage of this moment._ _

__"Emmarie," she said softly. The Orion looked up. _That's good, she at least remembers her name_. "Do you know where you are?" Emmarie's eyes narrowed. Clearly, this method wasn't going to provoke any sort of desirable response. Palor considered another tactic. "Lieutenant! Name and service number!" _ _

__Emmarie growled once more, before standing up. She approached the forcefield slowly, her eyes level with Palor's._ _

__"Emmarie," Palor started, but was interrupted by the Orion bellowing in rage. Lashing out with everything she had, Emmarie attacked the forcefield, all logical thought lost. The forcefield crackled as hands, claws, and feet struck it. Frell cringed, seeing the burns begin to form on Emmarie's skin._ _

__He was just about to interject and demand her sedation when she finally stopped, falling to the floor in exhaustion. For several long moments, all collected sat in silence. Emmarie breathed deeply, as though she was trying to regain her strength before another assault._ _

__"She seems to have some sense of who she is," Palor said. "She's just operating by sheer animal woman instinct right now." She decided upon a risky tactic. "Emmarie, do you want to talk about the baby?" For a moment, it almost seemed as though Palor had gotten through to her, as she hesitated for a moment._ _

__Emmarie pulled herself to her feet, grabbed the first thing she could and threw it at the forcefield._ _

__"This isn't getting us anywhere," Frell said. "We need to get her pheromones under control somehow, and then try and get through to her."_ _

__Emmarie picked up a tray, and prepared to throw it._ _

__"Emmarie, let's talk about William Hunter," Palor said._ _

__Emmarie hesitated, recognition flitting across her features. As she hesitated, she saw her own reflection in the shiny metal of the tray. "Ares," she said softly, speaking the name as though it was the most important in the world. The tray fell from her fingertips, and clattered to the floor, causing the medical officers to flinch. But Emmarie was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even blink. Suddenly, it all came back to her. The away team. Colton Hunter. The baby. The bomb._ _

__Her hands dropped to her abdomen once more. Palor tried speaking to her again, but Emmarie was too lost in her own thoughts to notice._ _

__"Where..." she said, her words still coming to her with great difficulty. She looked around at all the things she'd tossed, before finally finding a tricorder. Pointing it at herself, she scanned quickly._ _

__Her anguished screams resounded off the bulkheads as she fell to a sobbing heap on the floor._ _

__Her adrenaline expired, Emmarie soon fell into a deep sleep. At times she was fitful; writhing around and murmuring softly as her hands reached out as though to push someone away from her. During one of her calmer moments the medical staff had placed her back atop the biobed, and covered her with a sheet. They'd also removed the medical equipment that she'd tossed around to prevent any further incidents._ _

__"Should we try to restrain her?" One of the nurses had asked Doctor Frell._ _

__He shook his head, "I fear that will only antagonize her more. I'm still confident that given a bit of time that she'll stabilize on her own." While Talon had been docked, Doctor Frell had sent a message to _Talon's_ Captain requesting that Lieutenant Hunter be allowed to stay behind to help aid Emmarie with her recovery. Until either he arrived, or Emmarie awoke again, there was little to do save monitor her condition._ _

__\---_ _

__Emmarie was lying in bed in her quarters aboard the Talon. Under the covers, she was nude, her body draped lazily atop Hunter's. From the time that she hit 4 weeks pregnant, her libido had gone through the roof, partially because of the changes to her pheromone regimen. At first, Hunter had seemed all too willing to meet her needs, regardless of how inconvenient the timing had been._ _

__That lasted until the first time she tried to take off his uniform while he was dressing to respond to a red alert. Apparently even William Hunter had limits when it came to his duty._ _

__Fortunately, there was nothing of interest on the sensors, and nothing critical for them to do today. "Hunter?" Emmarie said softly, uncertain whether or not he was awake. He made a low grunt of acknowledgement, and Emmarie giggled._ _

__"Wha's so funny?" he said, slurring sleepily._ _

__"I can't keep calling you Hunter," she said. "We're having a child together. It seems impersonal."_ _

__"Is my name," he said, burying his face into Emmarie's neck._ _

__"It's your family's name," she countered. She didn't much care for calling him William... only his ex seemed to call him that. Sig called him Bill, but for some reason that didn't seem fitting either. "What's your middle name?"_ _

__He mumbled it into her neck, causing her to giggle once more, both because it tickled, and because it amused her. "Your initials are WAH?!" She said, before bursting into laughter._ _

__Hunter pushed himself up, an affixed her with a glare. "You are not being a very good pillow right now."_ _

__This did nothing to cease her laughter._ _

__\---_ _

__In the infirmary Doctor Frell continued to monitor her vitals. Her adrenaline levels had dropped, and her brain wave patterns seemed more stable than they'd been in the duration of her time since arriving at _SGE_. "She may be coming to again soon," he announced. Suddenly, everyone in the infirmary seemed to be circling the surgical suite._ _

__Frell rubbed his forehead. "She's a patient, and a Starfleet officer at that. And someone who has been through intense trauma. Her recovery is not a show for everyone's amusement." Still, despite his words, he couldn't really blame the assembled staff. Most had only ever encountered Orions who had been trained to keep their more animalistic behaviors under control. Seeing a wild-- admissibly beautiful-- display was something that most of them would not otherwise experience._ _

___How can they be so sexy even when they're so violent?_ Frell wondered. _ _

__Emmarie rolled around on the biobed. She mumbled something incoherently once more._ _

__"Is she waking up?" Doctor Tilamon asked. Frell shook his head. "Brain waves look like another round of nightmares." A variety of commentary came from the assembled peanut gallery:_ _

__"Hopefully there won't be shrieking this time."  
"She has a hell of a set of lungs."  
"You know, the containment field could be set to drown out sound." _ _

__Frell crossed his arms over his chest. "She may say something important," he said._ _

__\---_ _

__She was cold. That was the only thing that she knew for certain. Her instinct was to try and shiver, or to cross her arms over her chest to preserve her body heat, but she couldn't seem to will herself to move, no matter how hard she tried._ _

___Where am I?_ she thought, trying to remember the events leading up to her present situation. She'd been down on the planet as part of an away team. That part was clear to her. She couldn't remember which planet, or why she was there. She remembered messaging Hunter for advice, and him being concerned about what she'd said, for she'd spoken in haste. After that, it all sort of blurred together._ _

__"Oh good, you're awake," came a voice that was painfully familiar... yet at the same time she was certain she'd never heard it before._ _

__Her mouth was dry. She tried to part her lips to say something, but found that she could not do so. Her continued attempts to shiver were unsuccessful as well. Her heart began to race as she struggled to make some sense out of what was occurring. With no way to ask questions, and with her eyes refusing her attempts to open them, she was forced to rely on her other senses._ _

__She could hear breathing. Someone was close... standing over her most likely. Further away she could hear the sounds of someone else shifting their weight. There are at least two, she thought. Not that she would have been able to take them anyhow, given that she could not move._ _

__The air was chill, and slightly stale, as though it was being recirculated. There was a hint of antiseptic in the air as well. It certainly wasn't the _Talon_ 's sickbay, that was for certain._ _

__Where was Hunter? He was coming to help her, she remembered that. _Just stay calm, there's no way he's going to let you remain trapped for long.__ _

__But how long had she been asleep? How far away might she have gotten in that time? What if Hunter was captured as well. "MMmfmmm," she said, attempting to call out for him without opening her mouth. She made a frustrated noise afterwards, her attempts thus far to work her way out of the situation failing horribly. Her nose flared ever so slightly as she smelled the scent of a human body close to hers._ _

__A hand lightly caressed her body, starting at her cheek and drifting slowly downwards. "I can see why he likes you," the unfamiliar voice said once more. The hand stopped as it reached her abdomen. The fetus within moved, and Emmarie's heart started pounding even harder._ _

___I have to keep him safe. That's the only thing that matters._ _ _

__Tears welled up in her eyes, as she struggled to do something-- anything-- that would allow her to defend the life of that which mattered most to her. But she was powerless._ _

__"Has William told our parents?" the voice said, and Emmarie's heart sunk as she realized whose it was. Colton Hunter. "What did they say? Did it break their hearts knowing that their first grandchild was the product of a disgusting whore? Does my mother loathe the knowledge that her grandson is going to be green?" The racial epithet ordinarily did little to bother Emmarie, but the context in which it was used would have caused her to cringe, had she been able to._ _

__Colton's hand drifted further south, and Emmarie squeezed her eyes even more tightly shut. "I bet you like this," he said. "Your kind always does. No matter how smart or refined an Orion woman gets, she's still just a product of her genetics. Nothing but a slave, whose body is designed to be used. But you're not as lucky as many slaves are. No... you're wanton. You want this."_ _

__"Mmnnnnnn," Emmarie tried to speak once more, and failed. She was able to open her eyes though, and when she did so, they met painfully familiar blue eyes. _Why does he have to have Hunter's eyes?_ she thought, squeezing her eyes shut again._ _

__"Oh good, you're finally awake," he said, his voice oddly satisfied. He removed his hands from Emmarie and moved to the head of the bed she was laying on. A hypospray was pressed to her neck with a telltale hiss. "We can get started. Doctor?" Emmarie could hear footsteps moving closer. "You may begin." Emmarie's eyes flew open wide with shock. "Don't worry, I've given you something for the pain. You won't feel anything at all. I mean, I'm not a monster."_ _

__Colton reached down and began stroking Emmarie's hair, all the while making comforting noises. "Did you know that the first cesarean sections were designed to save the lives of children while their mothers were dead or dying? The fascinating thing is, even when sanitation was invented, it was still a rather high risk procedure. But... these were still rather barbaric methods. Scalpels made of metal. They sliced through skin like it was nothing, not even cauterizing the wound. So much blood..." Colton mused._ _

__Emmarie couldn't feel anything happening to her, but could tell something was in progress in her abdomen. Colton's eyes drifted down to check the progress from time to time, and a sly grin would spread across his features. "What is it like being on the same ship with William's ex-fiance?" Colton asked. Emmarie cringed at the way he said Hunter's name with three distinct syllables._ _

__"You're certainly pretty, but I can't help but wonder if he would want anything to do with you if it weren't for the child that you're carry-" he hesitated to look at the doctor's progress. "That you're carrying," he finished. "I'm sure you're rather acrobatic in other arenas, though, and knowing which head William tends to follow, that could work for him."_ _

__"Do you have the brains though? Are you smart enough to capture his attention for long? Or will you just be another discarded husk the moment the sex gets boring, or your looks begin to fade?"_ _

__Colton looked up. "Stasis container!" he barked. Emmarie could hear the sound of someone else walking over, their steps quick. "Careful now, it needs to be in one piece."_ _

___Not it,_ Emmarie thought, her heart breaking. _Him. Our son._ But she was unable to voice her thought._ _

__"So, where was I, where was I?" Colton mused momentarily. "Oh, that's right. The real question. With this gone, what will Hunter think of you now?" Colton reached over, grabbing the stasis container from whomever had brought it over. He held it over Emmarie's head so she could see the fetus within._ _

__Her eyes opened wide with shock. "MmmmffmmmMMMMnnnFmmmmm!" she tried to exclaim. Her eyes quickly surveyed the child, looking for any signs of movement. _Please, please don't be dead_ , she thought, and the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks._ _

__"Don't worry. I have a special surprise for you that will ensure you're not empty inside..." Colton said, grinning wickedly. He handed the stasis container off to someone standing nearby. His attention was focused on Emmarie's abdomen once more, and Emmarie's blood ran cold when she saw how his brow furrowed, almost as though he was worried about something._ _

__"I bet William will be back in Georgia's bed within a month," Colton mused. "I've never thought she was anything that special, but I can't see her saying no..." He leaned over, pressing his lips against Emmarie's. "You've been brilliant, love. Not as brilliant as I have, clearly. But you've done your role quite admirably."_ _

___He'll be fine, he has to be fine, Colton wouldn't kill him, he's worth more to him alive, why would Colton put him in stasis if he was dead?_ Emmarie's thoughts raced. She began to hyperventilate._ _

__"She's closed," the doctor said._ _

__Colton disappeared for a moment, and returned with what looked to be a pen of some sort. Emmarie scowled, trying to figure out what he was up to. _After everything else you've done, what else could you possibly need to do to spite us?__ _

__Colton made an approving noise. He left for a moment, and Emmarie could hear him sit the pen down. He returned once more with a medical tricorder in one hand, and a hypospray in another._ _

__"This will help you sleep, love," he said softly, pressing it against Emmarie's neck. She fought as hard as she could not to allow the sedative to take effect, but her eyelids began getting heavy. A mirror was enough to reveal the message that had been sprawled across her abdomen: "Payback, brother." That caused her eyes to open again with a start._ _

__Colton held the medical tricorder up to her face as he scanned her abdomen, showing her the devices contained within. Emmarie squinted in confusion, struggling to understand what she was seeing, as her vision was beginning to go black._ _

___Explosives!_ she thought, panicked. It was her last conscious thought before drifting back to sleep once more._ _

__In the infirmary, the medical staff stood clustered around the surgical suite as Emmarie screamed._ _


End file.
